Raipur
Raipur MP Brijmohan Agarwal has written to Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, urging him to grant international status to Raipur Airport and facilitate direct connectivity with countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thailand, and Vietnam.
In his letter, Agarwal mentioned that following the Airport Advisory Committee meeting on December 26, efforts were made to engage with international airlines regarding potential routes from Raipur to these countries. However, it was found that under the 2014 bilateral agreement between India and the UAE, only 15 Indian cities are currently permitted to operate direct flights to the UAE, with an exchange of 66,000 seats.
He further highlighted that during discussions with the UAE Ambassador, a proposal emerged to revise the agreement and expand the number of Indian airports with direct UAE connectivity from 15 to 30. This demand has been raised by several MPs in the past, but no concrete decision has been made so far.
Agarwal urged the Union Minister to renegotiate the bilateral agreement between India and the UAE to facilitate international operations at Raipur Airport. He emphasized that granting Raipur this status would significantly boost the region’s economic and social development.
